Mental stress: taking life one at a time

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Mental health has been described as our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, which affects how we think, feel, and act. It enables individuals to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to society at large, according to the WHO . This scope tells us that mental health does not imply the absence of mental disorders alone but entails the complete mental well-being of the individual.

According to the above definitions, a majority of people may have been subjected to factors that destabilize their mental health at some point in their lives, from childhood to adulthood.

Man is a being full of efforts both day and night. Here in Nigeria, it has been joked that Nigerians should be awarded certificates of survival. The implication of this statement is that man is subjected to unfavorable psychological, environmental, and social factors that can easily tilt us into a state of poor mental health. These stressors range from factors such as poverty, work, sickness, meeting deadlines, etc.

Man's having to meet many of life's demands predisposes him to a state of poor mental health. Mental stress is not limited to adulthood, and exposures to mental stressors in childhood, such as poor parenting and physical abuse, predispose them to a higher risk of mental disorders with a worse prognosis due to their inability to cope with such stressors.

Coping with mental stressors refers to the ability of a man to adjust to stressors so that he is not weighed down by them. Coping strategies are better seen among adults, who can easily adjust their lives and work to ease the stress, as compared to children.

Physical health should not be mistaken for mental health, as man is made of a composite of body and soul. A physically healthy individual does not translate to mental well-being. A good number of us make the effort to ensure our physical bodies are kept healthy through regular medical checkups; however, these do not cater to our mental state. Medical professionals are trained to identify mental disorders, but not all can handle them. People with mental disorders are often referred to specialists—behavioral scientists.

Some mental disorders can also be very mild and can be missed during evaluation. Many people would not accept that they have mental disorders, especially because of the stigma attached to these disorders. Mental disorders are mostly considered significant when they involve psychotic disorders, which they should not be.

The first step to handling any medical condition, including mental disorders, is the identification of the disorder. A reminder that mental disorders can range from as mild as poor coping strategies to as severe as psychotic disorders.

I will share a popular code we developed in medical school for responses to bad news: SABDA: shock, anger, bargaining, denial, and acceptance. A good number of us are familiar with PTSD, which is post-traumatic stress disorder. This is a typical example of a poor coping strategy for mental stressors that can affect the mental health of the individual. Stressors can be acute or chronic, and the way we cope with them can equally be acute or chronic. Most chronic coping strategies are poor adaptations to these stressors.

Mental disorders should be handled by specialists such as behavioral scientists or therapists. Support groups and sharing with friends are alternatives to seeking help for mental disorders. Engaging in activities such as hangouts, exercises and confiding in trusted friends do help to relieve mental stress. Some people listen to music, watch movies or play games to relieve mental stress also.

While growing up, I trekked long distances to school, had some people bully and beat me, and going to the farm with my mom was a routine. A good number of times, I was chased out of class for not being able to pay tuition fees. Medical school was equally demanding as we were exposed to stressful events, and for some like me, I failed and even cried a couple of times in medical school (and yes, I was well over the adolescent stage). At a certain point in my penultimate year in medical school, seeing poor results stopped bothering me because it seemed there was nothing I could do to salvage the situation.

I believe the above period has immensely contributed to my life now. Life is not free of troubles; we can do our best and leave the rest. Nature has a way of resetting itself when equilibrium is tampered with. We cannot have it all, but we can have enough. Failing does not make one a failure; giving up does. I have borrowed to survive, and my family has been embarrassed several times due to my inability to pay rent. There are so many memories that have impacted my mental health, but my resolution has been to take life one step at a time and live a little. This way, I am less bothered by the race of life, believing we are all working to fulfill a destiny or that we have influenced it.

Thank you for reading. I would have written more, but I would love to have your comments and contributions.